Page 30 of The Risks of Reuniting (Love Connections #1)

Both

HOLT

Chloe has fallen asleep and it gives me the freedom to stare at her like a love-sick fool.

Darkness has fallen completely, the water is cool, and I can't remember the last time I've felt this content.

Cesar's soft singing has cast a spell over this dirt yard, so fully that the neighboring dogs are actually quiet for the first time I can remember.

Rachelle's eyes are closed as well, but I can tell she's not sleeping because her fingertips drag lightly through the water and she has a smile on her face.

Chloe's stitched-up arm dangles out of the tub in her effort to keep it from soaking in what's become dirty water, and it doesn't take much to remember how panicked I felt seeing that knife flash, and watching her blood drip down her arm. I'm so grateful she's okay.

Her face is perfect in her sleep. Relaxed.

The lines of her face have always fascinated me.

She has small features. Thin eyebrows, tear-drop shaped eyes, a small nose, and honestly the smallest earlobes I've ever seen.

But her personality makes her feel larger than life.

Her fire is something you want to warm yourself by.

I watch her chest rise and fall and think about the fact that I only have a week left with her in these close quarters.

Once she gets home she'll be harder to spend time with.

In fact, she may choose to avoid me altogether.

I need to make something happen before we leave.

I need her to understand I'm not toying with her, that my heart is on the line too.

I think about Rachelle telling me Chloe might be less attached to Salt Lake than she was, and wonder what that means for us.

I need to talk to Chloe, though, before I let those thoughts go too far and hurt us both again.

The water in their tub shifts and I look over to see Rachelle smiling knowingly at me. I smile back, busted but not caring that much.

"I can see why you love her," Rachelle whispers. "You two suit."

I swallow hard over emotion that rises. "I know."

"You don't have much time to win her back, you know, assuming that's your end game."

"I know," I sigh. "I've done everything wrong so far, and I'm not sure where to go from here."

Rachelle rubs her arms and shivers. "Well, seems to me like you have an opportunity right now. I'm getting cold and I'm heading back to our room. She's sleepy, and might need someone to keep her standing upright." She tosses me an exaggerated wink and I grin. "And warm," she adds.

She pushes up out of the tub as gently as possibly, and I smile at her knowing she's purposely trying not to wake up Chloe.

She's successful, and she quickly wraps herself in a towel and tosses me a wave over her shoulder as she leaves.

Cesar has stopped singing and is watching everything with avid interest. Smart man that he is, he follows Rachelle's lead and stands to leave.

He lets me know he'll be back to drain the tubs in a bit and then dries quickly, giving me a thumb's up as he heads back to our room.

Now I'm alone with the only woman I've ever loved, and suddenly I'm terrified that she's going to be ticked off about that fact when she wakes. I don't want her ticked. I want her soft and sleepy and with her weapons of war put away.

I stand and step out of the tub. The air quickly chills my skin and I dry as fast as I can.

Then I gather up our food trays and set them by the gate, planning to come for them later.

With my towel wrapped around my waist, my hair still damp and sticking up, I make my way slowly to the tub where Chloe is out cold.

Her lips have a slight blue tint, and I can see goosebumps on her thin arms. I know just the person to warm her up.

CHLOE

Something soft touches my forehead, then my cheeks, dances down my nose and caresses my ear.

I smile, enjoying the light touch, and waking slowly to find Holt's face close as he traces my features with his fingertip.

I frown, confused, and wondering if I'm dreaming this.

The chill of the water around me and the empty sky above me serve as reminders of where I am.

I look around to see that we're alone. The others have abandoned me to Holt, who looks pleased with this development.

I sit up and blink myself fully awake .

"How was your nap?" he asks, his voice low and soft, intimate like this setting.

It does things to me when he talks like that, and I have a sudden urge to reach for him and press my lips to his. No more games, just connection. I know he wouldn't fight me off, and that knowledge has me tossing him a carefree smile and standing up.

"I can't believe I fell asleep," I say. "How long was I out?"

"Not long. Only ten minutes or so."

He hands me my towel and offers me a hand to lean on as I step out of the tub.

I'm perfectly capable of stepping out, but I take it anyhow and a slight tingle races up my arm at the contact.

He's strong and steady, and my feet land solidly on the dirt as he helps me wrap my towel around my shoulders.

He steps back as I dry myself and I make quick work of it.

"Can I walk you back to your bunkroom?" he asks.

"It's a two minute walk," I tease, pleased with him asking.

He nods. "Gives me two more minutes with you."

Oh. Good answer. I'm not sure what to say, so I smile and slip on my shoes as we head out the gate and into the night.

It's not so late that the place is shut down for the night, but it's a Saturday which means anyone not needed is out touring the city, so it's quiet and we don't pass anyone along the way.

Sure enough, in less than two minutes we're at my bunkroom door. It's shadowy here, and I turn to face him, hugging my towel around my shoulders, and look up to see what he'll do next. I kind of like this development too.

"Thanks for your help today," he says. "It feels really good to have met that goal."

I bite my lips. "It felt really good to help you meet that goal. "

"It feels really good to be around you again," he says quietly, and I don't pull away when he steps a little closer. "Really good."

I pull in a deep breath. "Same."

A smile pulls at his mouth and my eyes watch in fascination as his hand moves to caress up my arm and come to rest on my shoulder over the towel.

"Would you go somewhere with me tomorrow? We can invite the others too if you want."

I look up to find his head bent over mine, blocking out whatever moonlight might've sneaked through the clouds.

"Where?" I ask.

"You can't leave Lima without going to an Inka Market." He traces his fingertips up the side of my neck and back down, watching the progress as he does. "Shopping day?"

"Only if they sell overly priced items to unsuspecting tourists," I reply, feeling a little dizzy at the touch.

His teeth flash. "You know it."

"All right."

And, as though he simply can't help himself, he leans in and places a kiss on my forehead.

When I expect him to pull away, he moves to my check, and then the side of my mouth, and my hands reach for him, planting against his chest as I lean in to the pressure.

All I'd have to do is turn my head and we'd be kissing.

My breath stutters at the thought, and his hand wraps around the back of my neck.

"Tell me if you don't want this," he whispers against my cheek.

My mouth is dry and my heart is racing. It's a risk and I don't like risks, but I'm paralyzed by his closeness, his scent, his warm mouth moving to the side of my neck. I tilt my head to give him better access and my breath rushes out .

"I want this," I whisper.

It takes less than a heartbeat for him to move his mouth to mine.

He's soft and warm, and it's like coming back to myself.

I know this mouth, and the way it moves, and the way it makes me feel.

I slide my hands up his chest and take hold of his shoulders, and his hands move to my back to pull me flush against him.

My towel slides off my shoulders into the dirt, but I don't feel the cold air against my skin.

He tilts his head to settle his mouth more firmly on mine, his kisses becoming more intense as the breath is stolen from my lungs.

A zillion feelings zap between us. It's been too long. How did I go without this? Was I actually living after he left? Because it feels like life slipping back into me the longer we kiss, and the tighter he holds me. Like rather than stealing my breath, he's returning it at long last.

Eventually we need actual air, and we pull apart, our foreheads leaning against each other as his familiar scent fills my senses. Senses that remember exactly why it was so hard to lose this. Holt and I were amazing together, and that same spark hasn't dimmed at all.

I take a few more breaths and step back, letting go of his shoulders and he drops his arms from around me.

I don't want words to ruin this moment. I want to go inside and glow for a bit and then overanalyze it, and then glow some more.

So when he opens his mouth to say something, I don't care what it is, I hop forward and stop him with another soft press of my lips against his.

Before he can wrap his arms around me for round two, I'm out of his hold.

"Goodnight," I say with a soft smile, to take any sting out of it.

He answers with one of his own. "Night."

I pick up my towel and go inside the bunk room without a backward glance.

HOLT

I'm not sleeping one single wink tonight, I realize as I leave Chloe's door and make my way back to the laundry area to gather up our dinner trays and return them to the canteen. I note that the tubs have been emptied and wonder if Cesar saw us together. I honestly don't care if he did.

I kissed her. Correction, she wanted me to kiss her, which is even better. My heart soars, and all my previous exhaustion flies out the window. That moment was everything. Every. Thing. I can't believe it happened.

The canteen is dark when I return the trays, and I hurry to wash them, not wanting the employees to find work waiting for them in the morning.

I hum while I wash, and think about my beautiful girl and her soft eyes, and her hard work today.

It was fun working with her. She was terrible at it, but she kept up a good attitude and her sincere desire to help makes her even more attractive.

This could be something we do together in the future. More humanitarian work. I have three years of PharmD school left, but after that we could do a few things. I start imagining the possibilities and then work to tamp down on it .

"Don't get ahead of yourself, man," I say out loud as I dry the last tray and stack it. "You haven't had any real conversations, and planning out a future without talking to her didn't go so well in the past. Slow your roll."

But it's so hard to slow when my girl feels like she's within reach.

I make my way back to my bunk room to find Cesar awake, reading something by the light of our single lamp. He greets me when I enter the room and make my way to the dresser to get clean and dry clothes.

"How did it go?" he asks, sitting up with a knowing grin.

I can't help the huge smile that I send over my shoulder. "Good," I say.

He sets down his magazine. "Very good?"

"Very good," I agree. "You want to go to Inka Market tomorrow? Shopping day?"

"Does Chloe want to shop?" he asks astutely.

"She does."

"Then yes, amigo, I will shop too."

I slap him on the shoulder as I pass his bed, and head out to the communal shower. Best night ever. Even better than the first time I kissed her two years ago. This time I know better than to waste the gift.

CHLO E

Sat, May 24

Dearest lunatics,

You've all gone stark raving mad in my absence. I do not understand this, as I am the baby of the family, and a child in this dynamic.

I am fine. Truly. Plus, I will be home in one week.

Do not buy a ticket to come down here. I am taking a picture of myself to show that I'm alive and in one piece.

Yes, Grandma Sue, I know you've been watching a lot of Dateline, so I will make sure to include a dated item – although I'm not sure you'll believe it's unaltered.

Stop with the conspiracy theories, you still have more to live for.

Maybe a nice walking group to help you see the sunlight more often.

Today I did construction with the crew who works on improving housing.

It was hard work, and I'm terrible with a hammer and nail.

I'd apologize to Dad for this, but he never allowed me near a hammer because none of us know what we're doing.

You guys owe the people of Lifting Hope about $50 in nails to replace what I wasted.

I wore sunscreen, and stayed hydrated, and really had the best time.

If the dental hygiene thing doesn't work out .

. . well, I can't actually do construction work, but I'd be great as a pep rally person on the sites.

I'm kidding – do not send money. I repeat – you do not actually owe them any money.

Last night one of my friends filled up a few big laundry tubs with water and we sat in them under the clouds.

It was probably the best spa experience I've ever had.

No one walked on my back or pulled too hard at my toes, or cut my toenails down so low they were destined to become ingrown.

I ended up falling asleep in the tub and when I woke up I felt really at peace.

No, the water hadn't been boiled. Yes, I made sure to take a shower afterwards so I don't get giardia. Let me enjoy my stuff without worrying about medical issues.

Today we're going shopping at a local Inka Market.

I'm excited to check out the goods. The people here make things in the most beautiful colors, and I'm inspired by that.

It will be fun to have a break from the Center and see more of Lima.

Although it's bittersweet, because we only have a week left and I feel like I could stay longer.

The people here need me, and it's nice to be needed.

Gavin – if you don't reply to one of these emails soon I will tell Mom your door code and send her to your place looking for you.

Mom – of course I know his door code. Not sorry for hiding it from you, but he's a grown man and I'm not letting you do his house cleaning and buy him groceries. It's ridiculous.

Dad – Do not mow my lawn this week. And if you insist on rolling out our garbages, please at least put them in the proper place. We were fined by the HOA – your nemesis – for improper can placement. I can't afford much more of your help.

Much love,

Chloe

image of smiling me in my bunk room attached

Is now the time to tell them about Holt?